As I finish the last crumbs of the achappam, I know it will be some time before I get to taste the same kind of rose cookies, aka achappam, again. For these were brought from the iconic Mammi Chedathy’s outlet at Puthenangadi in Kottayam.
Kerala has a wealth of short bites, savouries and sweets, colloquially called naalumani palahaaram (4pm snacks). Mammi Chedathy’s Food Products, a quiet outlet tucked away in a lane in Kottayam town, has been functioning from the same place since it opened in 1953. Filled with packets of churuttu, kuzhalappam, achappam, cheeppappam, vettu cake, madakasa, avalose podi, neyyappam, vattayappam, aval velayichathu and more, fresh batches of eats, some unique to Central Travancore, keep arriving from the kitchen adjacent to the outlet. Women are busy packing them in plastic covers.
